User blog:Dtaa2000/Not of Heaven or Hell: the Greater Cetemar Theo-graphy
Another problem of a complete world build is avoiding common tropes: heavens and hells in particular. I think (hope!) one can build faith systems in a knights and dragons world that don't just mirror Christo-mythology. GoT is a great example of well thought-out, intersecting, opposing, and competing faiths; they hold their mystery and have predictable religious outcomes: pogroms, conversions, revivals, and so on. '' ''To that end, since several larger civilizations of Cetemar have met, researched and exchanged ideas on the nature of the gods, I've developed a greater "theo-cartography," or mapping of the divine realms. It is inspired from indigenous faiths in North America: their "3 worlds," some Platonism, and a hodge-podge of other (poorly) recalled ideas. The Three Realms the Unmade of Form of Spirit The Three Realms can be explained by a clay pot. The pot was made of clay. Clay has no form, nor true name--just a description of its function. But it is something and has power. This is the Realm of the Unmade. The clay pot now exists. It is named: a pot. No pot is exactly like it. And, by its uniqueness, its oneness, its name and shape, now exists in the Realm of Form. The clay pot will shatter. It will become dust. But someone has seen it, used it, felt it, and can still recall it. The clay pot may never pour again. But it lives on in the Realm of Spirit. The soul of the once living, and the idea of them (living or non) reside in the realm of the spirit. the Realm of the Unmade This realm is the most difficult to divine, describe, or define. It holds both things not yet made, and things un-made. It is said to have been the birthplace of the Gods. It is a place of terror for man and Gods: where they might truly be obliterated, expunged, forgotten from existence. Only the most powerful of deities has ever entered the Realm of the Unmade and returned (who?). Yet, this realm is where the Gods draw much of their power. A Goddess of Child Birth, uses this "clay" to imbue a baby with life. A God of the Forge blesses the sword with power from the Unmade. Elemental beings are said to draw their power from the realm of the Unmade. And some assert magic is the Unmade in its most observable form. Those who worship the Unmade are said to be heretics. And those who innovate, practice science, or any form of inquiry that leads to something completely new are considered a danger to many believers as well. The innovator is drawing upon dangerous powers from the Unmade. "Among the faithful, sometimes the most dangerous heresy is a new idea." the Realm of Form Sometimes called the "Realm of Names," The Realm of Form includes both living and unliving objects--every one unique. All are imbued with a spirit, and differing levels of self-awareness. The Realm of Form holds the mortal world. Some call it the transitory realm, for no one stays in it forever. Some have also called it the Barrier Realm. It creates a barrier between the Unmade and the realm of the Spirit. Time exists only in the Realm of Form, imbuing its residents with both the capacity to change and the inevitability of death. Men live within the Realm of Form. Only the rarest few ever leave the realm and are able to return. Gods may freely enter and exit the Realm of Form. They are not truly of the Realm, but borrow from it to create avatars. (It is thought the Gods enter the realm of Form to borrow Time as well). the Realm of Spirit The Realm of Spirit is where men go to die, and where gods go to live. It is a vast place, packed with heavens and hells, and all forms of otherworldly kingdoms. Death(s) like the other gods, inhabits the spirit realm, taking in the souls of the departed, sending them on to other gods--or keeping them for himself. The Realm of the Spirit contains great power, but is ruled by the gods. Men must beg or steal to obtain it. Thought and dreams are said to come from the Realm of the Spirit. However, a completely new thought could be coming from elsewhere (the Unmade). On Life and Death In the First Making (of reality), there were supposed to be gatekeepers on both ends of the Realm of Form. The Goddess of Creation was to regulate what was delivered from the Realm of the Unmade to the Realm of Form. And the God of Death was to regulate who left the Realm of Form into the Realm of Spirit. But, through some calamity the Goddess of Creation was destroyed, leaving her powers spread among hundreds of other gods, or left entirely unclaimed. That is why the Realm of Form is not truly controlled by anyone. Beings, even mortal men, may draw upon the roiling power of the Unmade. Some conclude that magic itself is the Unmade seeping through into the Realm of Form. ---- So this concludes a first attempt at theo-cartography. Isolated Cetemar cultures might not have a world view like this at all. More advanced civilizations would have this as a valid argument--an argument possibly suppressed by religious authorities. Category:Blog posts